Several visitors to Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital have been complaining about poor medical services from the stages of diagnosis to treatment. They also lamented long waiting period, inadequate number of wheel chairs and congestion at the outpatients section, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

Visitors have taken photos on various occasions depicting the situation after 7:00 pm and the level of congestion witnessed in the male casualty departments where patients receive treatment on wheel chairs and wrong application of bandage.

The photos also revealed that doctors on call were not available while nurses and other staff of the hospital neglected their duties. They affirmed that shift duties among doctors often cause problems and fights due to belated attention, especially as some relatives are worried about the condition of patients who need urgent attention.

On the contrary, an official source declared that the hospital has been battling a large crowd in the weekends and public holidays, noting the burden is too much for 740-bed capacity hospital. He stressed the casualty departments alone receive an average of 3,000-4,000 patients each day, in addition about 1,500-2,000 visitors in the outpatients clinics.

He refuted the claim that doctors on call are always unavailable or punctual, indicating none of them is found wanting in their responsibilities. He attributed the claim to a large number of visitors the hospital receives and wrong attitude of some people, noting about three or four people accompany one patient to the hospital

Care
He reiterated the hospital takes care of the residents of over 10 areas, including Hawally, Jabriya, Salmiya, Rumaithiya, Mishref and Salwa — while it’s located within a densely populated region, along the Fourth Ring Road at Hawally and Jabriya respectively.

As per the photos posted on social media, he explained the patients on wheel chairs were waiting for results of their laboratory tests to complete treatment after first aid. Meanwhile, in spite of assurance given by the Minister of Health Dr Ali Al-Obaid and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah saying none of the Kuwaiti patients receiving medical treatment abroad will return home without completing their treatment — and the patients obtaining clearance for that purpose, the Health Offi ce in Washington has declined to recognize the step and officials insist on forcing two children back to Kuwait despite their bad state of health, reports Al-Rai daily.

The daily quoting the father of the two patients, citizen Raed Hussein Mubarak, explained that his children — a boy and a girl — suffer from Crohn’s disease that causes loss of weight and retarded growth. He said the children were receiving treatment at a US General Hospital until they received the shocking order to return to Kuwait without completing treatment.

The man lamented taking a bus from Boston to the Health Office in Washington in a journey of 10 hours to meet the deputy director. He then showed him a report stating the danger of returning his sick children to Kuwait without completing their treatment.

Consequently, the official asked for authorization from the Director of Overseas Medical Treatment and his representative to enable extension of the period of his children’s treatment and he obtained the required approval eventually. To his dismay, Director of the Health Office refused to attest the approval and demanded another approval from the Undersecretary of Health.

He said the director insisted on returning the patients to Kuwait and ignored directives from the health minister and HH the Prime Minister in that regard. The man concluded that he fears what could happen to his children if they are forced to return to Kuwait; thus, he is crying out as a distressed father. He urged the minister to consider his plight and direct the concerned officials in Washington to do the needful.